OWLS on the Move

Joyce Brake recently returned to the legislative advocacy arena as Associate Director of State Relations at Oregon Health & Science University. In this role, she lobbies Salem on OHSU’s public health, human services, higher education, and research issues.

Prior to her family’s Portland move, Joyce was the founding attorney of Columbia Counsel PLLC in White Salmon, Washington, where she took on rural legal services gaps through child advocacy casework and small business government relations. Joyce’s background includes policy counsel at the Washington State Senate and Moore & Van Allen PLLC, and she is a former German Fulbright Scholar and Bundestag parliamentary fellow.

Tonkon Torp has appointed partner Kristin Bremer Moore to chair its Labor & Employment practice group. Bremer Moore represents management in traditional labor matters and defends employers from claims of discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and other employment matters. She also represents clients seeking to enforce or defend against trade secret and noncompetition agreement violations. Bremer Moore joined Tonkon Torp in 2006 and was named as a partner in 2011.

About the appointment, Managing Partner Darcy Norville shared, “We’ve been proud to watch Kristin develop from a talented associate into a strong contributing partner. And now we are thrilled to help her take the next step in her career as a practice group chair.”

Bremer Moore takes over the role from outgoing chair Bob Carey, who continues his practice at Tonkon Torp, representing companies, professionals, and executives in employment litigation and other employment related issues.

Bremer Moore has been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, and Super Lawyers as among the best attorneys in the nation. She is a frequent speaker on labor and employment issues, and is actively involved in Oregon’s legal community. Bremer Moore graduated cum laude from Willamette University College of Law in 2003 and earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

OWLS member Katharine von Ter Stegge was recently appointed by Governor Brown to the Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The Multnomah County Circuit Court presently has three vacancies, created by the retirements of Judge Henry Kantor and Judge Julie E. Franz, and by the elevation of Judge Bronson James to the Oregon Court of Appeals. To these vacant positions Governor Brown appoints Katharine von Ter Stegge (Position 10), Christopher A. Ramras (Position 15), and Benjamin N. Souede (Position 30).

Katharine von Ter Stegge is an attorney in the Multnomah County Attorney’s Office, where she has worked since 2010. She previously worked as a trial attorney at the Oregon Department of Justice and as a prosecutor in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. She began her career as a law clerk for a federal judge in West Virginia. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Governors.

An active member of OWLS, von Ter Stegge is also president of Queen’s Bench, our Portland-area chapter, as well as a citizen-member of the Independent Police Review Board for the City of Portland and is a volunteer lawyer for the Oregon Crime Victim Law Center.

Attorney Edie Rogoway was named the recipient of the 2017 Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association’s (OCDLA) President’s award, an honor to distinguish individuals who have shown exemplary service to the Association.

The award recognizes Rogoway for her pro bono work organizing volunteer attorneys and interpreters to assist people affected by President Trump’s Muslim travel-ban Executive Order. Ms. Rogoway exemplifies the spirit of the award by “… standing up for the defenseless and holding those in positions of power accountable for the harm they cause …for being a rock of strength and a beacon of hope for people subject to abuses of power.”

OWLS member Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi was recently appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The Oregon Court of Appeals presently has three vacancies, created by the elevations of Justice Meagan A. Flynn and Justice Rebecca A. Duncan to the Oregon Supreme Court, and by the retirement of Judge Timothy J. Sercombe. To these vacant positions Governor Brown appointed Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi (Position 4), Judge Bronson James (Position 2), and Steven R. Powers (Position 7).

In an official release, Governor Brown stated, “Oregonians will be rightly proud to welcome this group of exceedingly talented and diverse lawyers into judicial service.” Governor Brown added, “These appointments draw from every corner of the legal profession: prosecutors and defenders of the accused, advocates for injured persons, civil defense attorneys, government lawyers, and even a state representative. This group entrusts some of Oregon’s finest lawyers with the fair and impartial administration of justice in our state.”

Robyn E. Ridler Aoyagi is a trial and appellate litigator at the Tonkon Torp law firm, where she has worked since 2000. She began her legal career as a law clerk on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School. She is a member of the board of directors of Portland Story Theater and recently chaired a project on e-briefing for the American Bar Association Council of Appellate Lawyers, of which she is an executive board member. She also is past chair of the Oregon State Bar Appellate Practice Section Executive Committee.

Tonkon Torp Managing Partner Darcy Norville has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Campaign for Equal Justice (CEJ). The nonprofit organization raises funds to ensure Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens have access to legal aid programs. Norville has been active with CEJ for many years, with previous roles on the advisory board and as a state-wide co-chair for the organization’s annual fund drive.

Norville’s practice includes general business and corporate law, with particular emphasis on executive compensation, ERISA and employee benefits.

Tonkon Torp has been staunch supporter of CEJ since the organization formed in 1991, and has consistently been a leading contributor to CEJ during its annual fund drive. The firm was honored in 2017 with CEJ’s “Large Firm Award,” and “Defender of Justice” designation, which is given to firms whose average per lawyer contribution to the CEJ annual fund drive is in the $500 to $999 range. In addition to Norville, Tonkon Torp attorneys Ron Greenman and Daniel Skerritt have served in leadership positions with CEJ over the years.

Tonkon Torp LLP is a leading business and litigation law firm serving public companies, substantial private enterprises, entrepreneurial businesses and individuals throughout the Northwest.

Portland law firm Bodyfelt Mount LLP announced today that Jamie Azevedo Stremming has joined the firm as an associate. Azevedo’s practice focuses on general civil litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death and construction defect cases in which she represents both businesses and individuals.

Azevedo brings considerable experience handling civil claims in Oregon and Washington. From 2005 through 2012, she served as an in-house litigation attorney for GEICO in Portland, where she tried a variety of cases through arbitration and jury verdict. In addition to representing insured customers in personal injury lawsuits filed against them, Azevedo represented GEICO in uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, and as a plaintiff in subrogation.

Azevedo earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School. She received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, graduating magna cum laude.

PGE names new general counsel and corporate compliance officer to executive team

PORTLAND, Ore – On June 19, Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) announced the appointment of Lisa Kaner as PGE’s new general counsel and corporate compliance officer. Kaner will replace Jay Dudley, PGE’s current general counsel and corporate compliance officer, who will retire at the end of June after nearly 30 years with PGE. Kaner will join PGE on Thursday, June 29, after more than 28 years as an attorney with the Portland business litigation firm Markowitz Herbold PC where she oversaw some of the firm’s most complex and legally demanding cases. While there, she also advised and represented PGE on multiple occasions, gaining a strong knowledge of the organization.

“Lisa is a talented and proven legal expert,” said Jim Piro, president and CEO. “Her leadership and many strategic accomplishments — combined with her knowledge of PGE and regulatory issues — distinguished her as the right person to lead our talented legal, internal audit and FERC compliance teams.”

Kaner has been honored by the Portland Business Journal for being one of the region’s most influential business women and recognized for her public service by the Oregon State Bar. She is an active member of the community where she has coached the Lincoln High School Constitution Team and the Jefferson High School Mock Trial Team.

Kaner earned her bachelor’s degree in European history from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated cum laude, and her Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Governor Brown Announces Appointment to Crook/Jefferson County Judicial District Bench

(Salem, OR) — On June 20, Governor Kate Brown announced she will appoint Daina A. Vitolins as a judge on Oregon’s 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court. The 22nd Judicial District encompasses Crook and Jefferson counties. Ms. Vitolins will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gary Lee Williams. Ms. Vitolins’ appointment will be effective immediately upon Judge Williams’ retirement, on July 1, 2017.

“Daina Vitolins has been serving the people of Central Oregon as a prosecutor in Crook County for more than a decade,” Governor Brown said. “She has earned a reputation as a passionate advocate for the rule of law and the public good. Her commitment to justice will enrich the bench of Oregon’s 22nd Judicial District.”

Ms. Vitolins is currently the District Attorney of Crook County, a position she has held since 2008. She is the immediate past president of the Oregon District Attorney’s Association. She worked as a deputy district attorney from 2006 to 2008. Before moving to Central Oregon in 2006, Ms. Vitolins worked for several years at the Oregon Department of Justice in Salem, as a deputy district attorney in Polk County, and, early in her career, as a staff attorney at Marion-Polk Legal Aid Service. She attended law school at Willamette University and earned her bachelor’s degree at the College of Idaho.